It is undeniable that Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have become the backbone of multinational operations in India. With more than 1,600 GCCs already established, employing over 1.6 million professionals and projected to grow into a US$110 billion market by 2030, the trend is not slowing down. But one important question often gets overlooked: who is driving this growth?

Understanding which countries are setting up GCCs in India, and why, offers valuable insights for global companies considering their own strategy. Different regions bring different priorities, and these patterns can help you benchmark, avoid common pitfalls, and make smarter choices about your India presence.

United States: Scale, Speed, and Innovation

The U.S. leads the GCC charge in India by a wide margin. American technology giants, financial institutions, and retail majors continue to expand aggressively. Over 60% of India’s GCCs trace their origins to the U.S., reflecting the country’s deep reliance on India for digital innovation, customer success, and engineering scale.

For U.S. firms, India provides three clear advantages:

• Access to one of the largest engineering talent pools in the world.
• Cost optimization without compromising quality.
• The ability to establish innovation hubs, not just back offices.

Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Target, and JPMorgan have transformed their India GCCs into engines for R&D, AI, cybersecurity, and product development. For fast-growing U.S. startups, GCCs also provide a way to accelerate speed-to-market without the overheads of scaling talent at home.

Europe, Middle East & Africa: Governance and Transformation

European and Middle Eastern firms together account for 15–20% of India’s GCC market, with strong representation from the UK, Germany, France, and the Nordics. Unlike their American counterparts, European companies often prioritize governance, compliance, and shared services consolidation when establishing in India.

British companies alone make up 6–8% of India’s GCC ecosystem, many of them in financial services, pharmaceuticals, and professional services. German and Nordic firms, meanwhile, use their GCCs for digital transformation, ERP modernization, and global IT support.

The takeaway? For EMEA companies, India’s value lies not just in cost arbitrage but in process maturity, standardization, and regulatory strength. Many also take advantage of tier-2 Indian cities, balancing cost efficiency with access to specialized talent.

East Asia: Deep Technical Anchors

Japanese companies are quietly but steadily expanding their India footprint. Conglomerates such as MUFG, Sony, and Takeda are building GCCs that focus on analytics, automation, and engineering excellence. These firms see India not just as a delivery hub but as a Centre of excellence for AI, machine learning, and data-driven operations.

East Asian companies tend to establish lean but high-value GCCs, emphasizing long-term knowledge retention and deep integration with headquarters. For them, India’s technical strength and stable, innovation-heavy ecosystem offer an attractive platform for sustainable growth.

Why Origin Country Trends Matter?

Understanding who is setting up GCCs and why isn’t just an academic exercise. It directly impacts your strategy:

• If you are a tech-first U.S. company, India helps you scale engineering and accelerate innovation.
• If you are a European firm, the ecosystem supports governance, shared services, and compliance-driven excellence.
• If you are an East Asian multinational, India provides unmatched analytics and AI capabilities that align with long-term technical objectives.

Your peers’ playbooks highlight proven models—but they also show what risks to avoid and how to differentiate your own GCC for lasting success.

The global momentum is clear. The only question left is: where does your company want to lead the wave?